| Dodes'ka-den | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Akira Kurosawa |
| Screenplay by | Akira Kurosawa Hideo Oguni Shinobu Hashimoto |
| Based on | A City Without Seasons 1962 novel by Shūgorō Yamamoto |
| Produced by | Akira Kurosawa Yoichi Matsue Keisuke Kinoshita Kon Ichikawa Masaki Kobayashi |
| Starring | Yoshitaka Zushi Kin Sugai Toshiyuki Tonomura Shinsuke Minami |
| Cinematography | Takao Saito Yasumichi Fukuzawa |
| Edited by | Reiko Kaneko |
| Music by | Tōru Takemitsu |
Production companies | Toho Yonki no Kai Productions |
| Distributed by | Toho |
Release date |
|
Running time | 140 minutes |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
| Budget | ¥100 million[1] |
Dodes'ka-den (Japanese: どですかでん, Hepburn: Dodesukaden, onomatopoeia term equivalent to "Clickety-clack") is a 1970 Japanese drama film directed by Akira Kurosawa. The film stars Yoshitaka Zushi, Kin Sugai, Toshiyuki Tonomura, and Shinsuke Minami. It is based on Shūgorō Yamamoto's 1962 novel A City Without Seasons and is about a group of homeless people living in poverty on the outskirts of Tokyo.
Dodes'ka-den was Kurosawa's first film in five years, his first without actor Toshiro Mifune since Ikiru in 1952, and his first without composer Masaru Sato since Seven Samurai in 1954.[2] Filming began on April 23, 1970, and ended 28 days later.[3] This was Kurosawa's first-ever color film and had a budget of only ¥100 million.[1] In order to finance the film, Kurosawa mortgaged his house, but it failed at the box office, grossing less than its budget,[4] leaving him with large debts and, at sixty-one years old, dim employment prospects. Kurosawa's disappointment culminated one year later on December 22, 1971, when he attempted suicide.[5]
- ^ a b Ishizaka 1988, p. 53.
- ^ Prince, Stephen (2009-03-10). "Dodes'ka-den: True Colors". Criterion Collection. Retrieved 2022-11-20.
- ^ Tsuzuki 2010, p. 371.
- ^ Barrett 2018, p. 64.
- ^ Ryfle & Godziszewski 2017, p. 262.